# Paleobiota of the Chinle Formation

The Chinle Formation is an extensive geological unit in the southwestern United States, preserving a very diverse fauna of Late Triassic (primarily Norian-age) animals and plants. This is a list of fossilized organisms recovered from the formation.

## Amniotes
### Archosauromorphs
#### Phytosaurs

Phytosaurs of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Leptosuchus | L. crosbiensis | Arizona | Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Smilosuchus | S. adamanensis | Arizona | Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Known from a single skull | Previously referred to Leptosuchus, actually referable to Smilosuchus. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Smilosuchus | S. gregorii | Arizona | Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Known from a handful of skulls. | A basal leptosuchomorph. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Smilosuchus | S. lithodendrorum | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Known from only one skull. | Previously considered synonymous with S. adamanensis. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| cf. Paleorhinus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Mesa Redondo | | | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Machaeroprosopus | M. buceros | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela | | | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Machaeroprosopus | M. mccauleyi | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela | | | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Machaeroprosopus | M. pristinus | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela | | | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Pravusuchus | P. hortus | Arizona | Sonsela | Three skulls. | A leptosuchomorph phytosaur closely related to Mystriosuchini or Nicrosaurus. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Protome | P. batalaria | Arizona | Sonsela | Partial skull and jaw. | A phytosaur originally described as a juvenile Leptosuchus, but probably an unrelated non-leptosuchomorph or mystriosuchin. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |
| Redondasaurus | R. gregorii | Arizona Utah | "Siltstone" / Rock Point Petrified Forest Church Rock | | A large late-surviving mystriosuchin phytosaur closely related to Machaeroprosopus (formerly known as Pseudopalatus), and often considered a subgenus of that taxon. | Smilosuchus adamanensis Smilosuchus gregorii Paleorhinus Protome batalaria |

#### Suchians

| Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon | Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited. |
Suchians of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Acaenasuchus | A. geoffreyi | Arizona | Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Known from a handful of isolated osteoderms. | A controversial suchian based primarily on osteoderms. Some paleontologists have considered Acaenasuchus to be juvenile Desmatosuchus haplocerus scutes, while others considered it a separate genus of small aetosaurs. Most recently it has been reconsidered an aetosauriform related to, but not within, Aetosauria. It is also related to Revueltosaurus (also from the Chinle) and the armored reptile Euscolosuchus from Virginia. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Adamanasuchus | A. eisenhardtae | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Osteoderms and skull and postcranial fragments. | A basal desmatosuchine aetosaur related to Calyptosuchus and Scutarx. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Calyptosuchus | C. wellesi | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Common, although "non-armor material is comparatively rare". | A basal desmatosuchine aetosaur originally considered a species of Stagonolepis. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Desmatosuchus | D. spurensis | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Numerous osteoderms and other skeletal material | A large desmatosuchin aetosaur which was fairly common in the lower part of the Chinle Formation. Prior to 2008, fossils of D. spurensis were listed as the species D. haplocerus, until it was determined that D. haplocerus was a species name originally based on undiagnostic fossils. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Desmatosuchus | D. smalli | Arizona | Sonsela? | A single lateral osteoderm. | A desmatosuchin aetosaur which is very rare in the Chinle Formation. One of the youngest known occurrences of the genus Desmatosuchus. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Effigia | E. okeeffeae | New Mexico | "Siltstone" | | A six-foot-long shuvosaurid from the Coelophysis quarry of Ghost Ranch. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Hesperosuchus | H. agilis | Arizona | Petrified Forest Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | An early-diverging crocodylomorph | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Kryphioparma | K. caerula | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Osteoderms. | Aetosaur described in 2023, probably related to other typothoracines. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Paratypothorax | P. andressorum | Arizona | Blue Mesa Sonsela | Osteoderms | A significant number of researchers feel that the North American material referred to the German Paratypothorax species P. andressorum by Hunt and Lucas in 1992 is actually distinct. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Paratypothorax | Indeterminate | Arizona New Mexico | Sonsela | Osteoderms and minor postcranial fragments. | A paratypothoracin typothoracine aetosaur known from isolated material similar to more complete specimens from Germany. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Parrishia | P. mccreai | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | An early-diverging crocodylomorph | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Poposaurus | P. gracilis | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Postosuchus | P. kirkpatricki | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Revueltosaurus | R. callenderi | Arizona | Petrified Forest | | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Revueltosaurus | R. hunti | Arizona | Blue Mesa | | | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Rioarribasuchus | R. chamaensis | Arizona New Mexico | Petrified Forest Sonsela | Osteoderms and possible ankle and vertebrae remains. | A late-surviving paratypothoracin typothoracine aetosaur. Originally referred to Desmatosuchus, but later reinterpreted as a relative of Paratypothorax based on a phylogenetic analysis performed on the remains by Parker in 2003. New genus names were erected independently by Parker (coining the name Heliocanthus) and Lucas et al. (coining the name Rioarribasuchus), prompting an investigation into reports of unethical taxonomic claim-jumping. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Saurosuchus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Jaw fragment. | Identified from a fossil which has been reinterpreted as an indeterminate "rauisuchian". | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Scutarx | S. deltatylus | Arizona | Sonsela | Four partial skeletons including skull fragments. | A large basal desmatosuchine aetosaur based on fossils originally referred to "Stagonolepis" (=Calyptosuchus) wellesi, a close relative. Fossils of Scutarx represent the highest stratigraphic occurrence of Stagonolepis-like aetosaurs in Petrified Forest National Park. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Shuvosaurus | S. inexpectatus | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Mesa Redondo | | Following a rediagnosis of the genus and species, only shuvosaurid fossils from the Cooper Canyon Formation are reliably identifiable as Shuvosaurus itself. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Stenomyti | S. huangae | Colorado | "Red siltstone" | Partial skeleton including a well-preserved skull. | A small aetosaurine aetosaur similar to Aetosaurus. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Typothorax | T. coccinarum | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela | Common in the Owl Rock and Petrified Forest Members. | A large, wide-bodied typothoracine aetosaur abundant throughout the Chinle Formation. Almost all of the known Chinlean Typothorax fossils are isolated whole or fragmentary osteoderms. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Tecovasuchus | T. chatterjeei | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Osteoderms. | Previously thought to be more widespread in the formation. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |
| Vivaron | V. haydeni | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | | A large rauisuchid similar to Postosuchus. | Desmatosuchus spurensis Effigia okeeffeae Hesperosuchus agilis Poposaurus gracilis Postosuchus kirkpatricki Revueltosaurus Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Typothorax coccinarum |

#### Ornithodirans

Prosauropod tracks are present in the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations. Possibly the Rock Point Formation as well. Geographically, the tracks are present in New Mexico.
Theropod tracks have been found in Utah and New Mexico recovered from the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations. Indeterminate theropod remains are stratigraphically present in the Petrified Forest, Bluewater Creek, and Rock Point members of New Mexico.
| Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon | Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited. |
Ornithodirans of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Camposaurus | C. arizonensis | Arizona | Bluewater Creek Formation | | A coelophysine coelophysid | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Chindesaurus | C. bryansmalli | Arizona | Petrified Forest | | A large saurischian alternatively considered a herrerasaurid or a theropod related to Tawa hallae. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Coelophysis | C. bauri | New Mexico | "Siltstone" | | | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Coelophysis | C. sp. | Arizona | Petrified Forest | | Originally assigned to C. bauri, but likely a different taxon. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Coelophysis | C. longicollis | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | | Now considered a junior synonym of C. bauri. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Coelophysis | C. willistoni | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | | Now considered a junior synonym of C. bauri. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Dromomeron | D. romeri | Arizona Colorado New Mexico | Petrified Forest (Hayden Quarry #3) Owl Rock ‘Red siltstone’ | | A lagerpetid pterosauromorph found at various Ghost Ranch quarries and elsewhere in the Chinle Formation. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Daemonosaurus | D. chauliodus | New Mexico | "Siltstone" | Skull and neck vertebrae fragments | A possible basal theropod with a short skull and enlarged teeth. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Eucoelophysis | E. baldwini | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | | A silesaurid dinosauriform closely related to the Polish genus Silesaurus. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Kwanasaurus | K. williamparkeri | Colorado | "Red siltstone" | | A silesaurid dinosauriform with adaptations for herbivory. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |
| Tawa | T. hallae | New Mexico | Petrified Forest (Hayden Quarry) | | A probable basal theropod showing a mosaic of features similar to neotheropods and herrerasaurids. | Camposaurus arizonensis Chindesaurus bryansmalli (interpreted as a herrerasaurid) Coelophysis bauri Daemonosaurus chauliodus Dromomeron romeri Kwanasaurus williamparkeri Tawa hallae |

#### Other Archosauromorphs

Non-crurotarsan Archosauromorphs of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Crosbysaurus | C. harrisae | Arizona Utah | Blue Mesa | | An archosauriform represented only by teeth. It is treated as indeterminate archosauriform remains by Irmis in 2005. It was originally thought to be an ornithischian dinosaur. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Doswellia | cf. D. kaltenbachi | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Osteoderms, vertebrae, rib and hip fragments. | A doswelliid archosauriform. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Puercosuchus | P. traverorum | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Two monodominant bonebeds. | A carnivorous azendohsaurid archosauromorph. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Rugarhynchos | R. sixmilensis | New Mexico | Bluewater Creek | Skull and postcranial fragments. | A doswelliid archosauriform. Originally described as a species of Doswellia, but subsequently transferred to a separate genus. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Syntomiprosopus | S. sucherorum | Arizona | Blue Mesa or Sonsela | Two to four individuals from a single quarry. | A short-faced archosauriform, possibly an unusual early-diverging crocodylomorph. Appears convergent with some Late Cretaceous notosuchians. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Tanystropheidae | Indeterminate | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | Vertebrae | Moderately-sized tanystropheid vertebrae from the Hayden Quarry, likely representing a new taxon closely related to Langobardisaurus and Tanytrachelos. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Tanytrachelos | Indeterminate / T. ahynis | New Mexico Arizona | Petrified Forest Mesa Redondo | Cervical rib, calcaneum, etc. | A small tanystropheid represented by several hundred fossil specimens. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Tecovasaurus | T. murryi | Arizona | Mesa Redondo | | An unknown amniote represented by scattered teeth formerly believed to be from an ornithischian dinosaur. Later discoveries of similar teeth in pseudosuchians meant that these could no longer be regarded as anything more specific than some kind of archosauriform. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Trilophosaurus | T. buettneri | Arizona | Blue Mesa | | | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Trilophosaurus | T. dornorum | Arizona | Sonsela | | | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Trilophosaurus | T. jacobsi | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Trilophosaurus | T. phasmalophos | Arizona | Sonsela | | | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |
| Vancleavea | V. campi | Arizona New Mexico | "Siltstone" Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa | | A strange aquatic carnivorous archosauriform, represented by both articulated skeletons and scattered elements like osteoderms and vertebrae. | Crosbysaurus Doswellia Trilophosaurus Vancleavea |

### Other amniotes

Miscellaneous amniotes of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Acallosuchus | A. rectori | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Known only from a partial skull. | A strange neodiapsid whose bones were heavily ornamented "with subtriangular knobs... running the length of the bones." Even these ornamentations were ornamented "with additional grooves." It is too bizarre to be currently classified as anything more than a probable diapsid. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Ancistronychus | A. paradoxus | Arizona | Sonsela | Manual unguals (hand claws). | A drepanosaur related to Drepanosaurus. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Avicranium | A. renestoi | New Mexico | 'Siltstone' | Skull and neck vertebrae. | A drepanosaur with a toothless skull and a flexible neck owing to the heterocoelous (saddle-shaped) articular surfaces of the vertebral centrae. The neural spines are anteroposteriorly short and strongly anterodorsally inclined. These features closely resemble those of Drepanosaurus. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Colognathus | C. obscurus | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Known only from a jaw fragment and some isolated teeth. | Originally believed to be a fish, Colognathus was a strange amniote with distinctive fluted teeth. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Dolabrosaurus | D. aquatilis | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | Articulated vertebral and limb material. | A drepanosaur. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Drepanosaurus | D. unguicaudatus | New Mexico | Petrified Forest | | A drepanosaur. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Kataigidodon | K. venetus | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Partial dentaries. | A non-mammalian eucynodont. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Kraterokheirodon | K. colberti | Arizona | Petrified Forest Blue Mesa or Mesa Redondo | Known only from two teeth. | A possible cynodont. Although they share some similarities with cynodont teeth, the teeth of Kraterokheirodon are very distinctive and can't be confidently referred to a known amniote group. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Microzemiotes | M. sonselaensis | Arizona | Sonsela | Partial left dentary with three teeth | A diapsid reptile of uncertain affinities. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Palacrodon | Indeterminate | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Jaw fragments. | A diapsid reptile of uncertain phylogenetic placement with unusual broadened teeth. More complete fossils of this genus from the Fremouw Formation of Antarctica suggest that it was an arboreal saurian. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Placerias | P. hesternus | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Known from several hundred remains, but very rare outside of the highly concentrated Placerias Quarry. | A placeriine stahleckeriid dicynodont. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Skybalonyx | S. skapter | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Manual unguals (hand claws). | A drepanosaur which likely had a burrowing lifestyle. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Uatchitodon | U. schneideri | Arizona | Mesa Redondo | Known in Chinle from only a single tooth. The presence of venom channels is consistent with other known Uatchitodon specimens, although the Chinle specimen's channels are unique in being "completely enclosed under the surface of the crown." | A reptile of unknown affinities, probably a carnivorous archosauromorph with venomous capabilities. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Whitakersaurus | W. bermani | New Mexico | "Siltstone" | | A rhynchocephalian found at Ghost Ranch. | Drepanosaurus Placerias |
| Indeterminate procolophonid | Indeterminate | Utah | | | | Drepanosaurus Placerias |

## Amphibians

| Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon | Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited. |
Amphibians of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Member | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Apachesaurus | A. gregorii | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Blue Mesa | Common in the Owl Rock and Petrified forest members. Blue Mesa remains are fragmentary. | A metoposaurid temnospondyl which is a junior synonym of Anaschisma | Anaschisma Funcusvermis |
| Anaschisma | A. browni | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | A. browni is "possibly the most common tetrapod fossil in the lower Chinle", although its presence in the upper Chinle is "unclear". | A metoposaurid temnospondyl. Koskinonodon was erected for the species "Buettneria" perfecta when it was discovered that the latter genus was preoccupied. Gee et al., 2017 then synonymised it with Anaschisma. | Anaschisma Funcusvermis |
| Chinlestegophis | C. jenkinsi | Colorado | | | A temnospondyl in the group Stereospondyli, related to Rileymillerus from the Dockum Group of Texas. Possibly a stem-caecilian according to one analysis, though others have disputed this finding | Anaschisma Funcusvermis |
| Funcusvermis | F. gilmorei | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Numerous jaw fragments, as well as a referred maxillopalatine, vertebra, and femur | A stem-caecilian | Anaschisma Funcusvermis |
| Salientia indet. | Indeterminate | Arizona | Sonsela Member Blue Mesa Member | Five bones: four ilia and a partial maxilla. | A stem-group frog. Might be more closely related to crown-group frogs (anurans) than to Early Triassic taxa Triadobatrachus and Czatkobatrachus. | Anaschisma Funcusvermis |

## Cartilaginous fish

Chondrichthyans of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Acrodus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Petrified Forest Sonsela Mesa Redondo | Only a single tooth is known. | A hybodontiform shark. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |
| Lonchidion | L. humblei | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | A hybodontiform shark. Lonchidion remains are common throughout the Carnian microvertebrate sites of the American southwest. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |
| Palaeoxyris | P. humblei | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Several specimens | An egg capsule of a freshwater hybodont shark. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |
| "Phoebodus" | Indeterminate | Arizona | Mesa Redondo | Only a single specimen has been recovered from the formation. | Triassic records of "Phoebodus" from Europe are reclassified to genus Keuperodus, and if this specimen also can be attributed to Keuperodus, this would be the first record from North America. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |
| Reticulodus | R. synergus | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela | | The crown of its tooth bears a "reticulating ornamentation on [its] occlusal surface[.]" Reticulodus remains are common throughout the Norian microvertebrate sites of the American southwest. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |
| Mooreodontus | M. moorei | Arizona | Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Common in the lower Chinle Formation's microvertebrate localities. | A xenacanthiform shark. | Xenacanthus, relative of Mooreodontus |

## Lobe-finned fish
### Coelacanths

Actinistians (coelacanths) of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Chinlea | C. sorenseni | New Mexico Utah | Ghost Ranch Quarry Walt's Fish Quarry Little Valley Dolores River Canyon | AMNH 5657; AMNH 5652, 5656, 5660, 5704; AMNH 5653 | A freshwater actinisitan (coelacanth). | Chinlea |
| Chinlea | Indeterminate | Arizona | Owl Rock Blue Mesa Ward Terrace Billingsley Bonebed Stinking Springs Placerias Quarry | MNA V346, scale; MNA V7045-7048, isolated quadrates | A freshwater actinisitan (coelacanth). | Chinlea |

### Lungfish

| Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon | Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited. |
Dipnoans (lungfish) of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes |
| Arganodus | A. dorotheae | | | | |
| Arganodus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | Arganodus toothplates are the most common fossil in the formation from a non-tetrapod. They are evenly distributed across strata, although some individual localities have very high concentrations. | Most Chinlean Arganodus fossils are isolated tooth plates. |
| Ceratodus | C. dorotheae | | | | Named by Case in 1921, in the 1980s it was referred to Arganodus. |

## Ray-finned fish

Actinopterygians (ray-finned fish) of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Australosomus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Mesa Redondo | Known only from two vertebrae. | | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Cionichthys | C. dunklei | Colorado Utah | | | A member of Redfieldiiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Hemicalypterus | H. weiri | Utah | Church Rock Member | | A member of Dapediiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Lasalichthys | L. hillsi | Utah | | | A member of Redfieldiiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Lasalichthys | Indeterminate | Arizona | Petrified Forest Blue Mesa Mesa Redondo | | Represented by isolated scales. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Lophionotus | L. sanjuanensis | Utah | Church Rock Member | | A member of Semionotiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Lophionotus | L. chinleana | Utah | Church Rock Member | | A member of Semionotiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Saurichthys | Indeterminate | Arizona | Upper Blue Mesa Member | | A member of Saurichthyiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Synorichthys | S. stewarti | Colorado Utah | | | A member of Redfieldiiformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Tanaocrossus | T. kalliokoskii | Colorado | | | An enigmatic actinopterygian. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Turseodus | T. dolorensis | Colorado | | | A member of Palaeonisciformes. | Australosomus Saurichthys |
| Turseodus | Indeterminate | Arizona | Owl Rock Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa | Common. | Isolated scales from Chinle microvertebrate sites commonly have Turseodus-like ridges, however that feature is not unique to Turseodus and in 2005 Irmis advised researchers to regard them as indeterminate palaeoniscid remains. | Australosomus Saurichthys |

## Plants

The Chinle Formation has a diverse flora of plant megafossils, though they are concentrated in only a few sites with suitable conditions. One of the most diverse floral communities is found near Fort Wingate, New Mexico. Paleobotanists have traditionally placed the Fort Wingate plant beds into the Monitor Butte Member, though more recently they are placed within the Bluewater Creek Formation, a subunit of the Chinle Formation first defined in 1989. Some Fort Wingate plant fossils belong to the "Lake Ciniza beds", a localized patch of grey mudstone corresponding to an ancient lake.
Another productive areas for plant fossils is Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Though petrified wood could be found through the entire stratigraphy of the park, most other plant fossils are exclusive to greenish mudstone layers adjacent to the Newspaper Rock sandstone bed in the Blue Mesa Member (formerly known as the "Lower Petrified Forest").
Conifers are the most common and diverse plants, including petrified wood and leafy branches from massive trees (Araucarioxylon, Pagiophyllum) as well as smaller shrubby forms (Pelourdea). Cycad and bennettitalean leaves and other remains make up a significant portion of the flora (Zamites, Nilssoniopteris, Williamsonia, etc.). Ferns (Cladophlebis, Phlebopteris, Clathropteris, Cynepteris, etc.) are abundant, with a range of growth habits including low shrubs, tree ferns, and palm-like fronds comparable to their modern relatives. Sphenophytes (horsetails: Neocalamites, Equistetites, Schizoneura, etc.) have low diversity but high abundance, and the largest Neocalamites fossils in the Chinle Formation could reach up to 6 meters (20 feet) in height. "Seed ferns" (Chilbinia, Marcouia?) ginkgophytes (Baiera), and small lycopods (Chinlea, Selaginella) were present but uncommon. The flora is rounded out by unusual low-growing gymnosperms such as Sanmiguelia (an angiosperm-like shrub), Dechellyia, and Dinophyton (possible relatives of Gnetales).
The floral composition of the Chinle Formation (and other parts of Late Triassic North America) seem to shift with changes in climate over time. The lowest parts of the Chinle, such as the Shinarump Conglomerate, are dominated by the bennettitalean Eoginkgoites alongside the first occurrence of other persistent plants such as Phlebopteris, Equisetites, and most common conifer species. Subsequent subunits (such as the Blue Mesa Member, Monitor Butte Member, and Bluewater Creek Formation) are much more diverse, with a wide array of humidity-adapted plants making up the typical Chinle flora. This second floral zone is characterized by Dinophyton, a common but enigmatic shrubby gymnosperm. Plant fossils are rare in the upper part of the Chinle Formation, which was presumably much drier than the lower part. In these later layers, by far the most common plant fossils belong to Sanmiguelia (an endemic of southwestern North America) alongside conifers and horsetails.

### Gymnosperms

Gymnosperms of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Araucariorhiza | A. joae | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato | Uncommon | Roots of conifers similar to modern Araucariaceae. Possibly from the same plant as Araucarioxylon arizonicum. | |
| Araucarioxylon | A. arizonicum, A. sp. | Arizona Utah New Mexico | "Siltstone" Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa Bluewater Creek (formerly Monitor Butte) Agua Zarca Sandstone | Abundant | Petrified trunks of large conifers possibly related to modern Araucariaceae. State fossil of Arizona. | Araucarioxylon arizonicum |
| Araucarites | A. rudicula | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa Monitor Butte | Very rare | Large female conifer cones similar to those of araucariacean conifers. | |
| Aricycas | A. paulae | Arizona | Blue Mesa ( = "Lower Petrified Forest") | Moderately common | Pinnate cycad leaves | |
| Baiera | B. arizonica | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek ( = "lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) | Uncommon | Ginkgophyte leaves | |
| Brachyphyllum | B. sp, B. hegewaldia | Arizona New Mexico Utah | Blue Mesa ( = "Lower Petrified Forest") Agua Zarca Sandstone Shinarump Temple Mountain | Uncommon | Conifer leaves and shoots | |
| Carpolithus | C. chinleana | Arizona | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") | Rare | Seeds of uncertain affinities | |
| Cephalotaxopsis | C. sp. | Arizona | | | Conifer foliage | |
| Charmorgia | C. dijolli | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato | Rare | Short cycad stems | |
| Chilbinia | C. lichii | Arizona | Shinarump | Rare | An archaic seed fern with seeds and leaves more similar to Carboniferous-Permian seed ferns than to Triassic forms. | |
| Creberanthus | C. bealeii | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Very rare | Pollen-bearing cones similar to those of some extinct "pteridosperms" (seed ferns). Associated with Alisporites opii, a common palynomorph. | |
| Dadoxylon | D. chaneyi | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato | Very rare | Possible cordaitalean conifer wood. | |
| Dechellyia | D. gormanii | Arizona New Mexico | Bluewater Creek (formerly Monitor Butte) Monitor Butte | Uncommon | An enigmatic gymnosperm with narrow pinnate leaves, "clasping" leaf-like sporophylls, and winged seeds. Some leaves are affected by galls, similar to those formed by eriophyid mites in modern plants. | |
| Dinophyton | D. spinosus | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Monitor Butte Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) | Common | An unusual gymnosperm combining needle-covered shoots with seed-bearing structures having the form of "pinwheel"-like clusters of tubular needles. Possibly related to Gnetales. | |
| Elatocladus | E. puercoensis | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Uncommon | Leaf-bearing conifer shoots | |
| Eoginkgoites | E. sp., E. davidsonii | Arizona Utah | Shinarump | Common within its small stratigraphic range | A bennettitalean with palm-shaped fronds similar to some ginkgo species. | |
| Ginkgoites | G. sp. | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Rare | A ginkgophyte | |
| Lindleycladus | L. arizonicus | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Uncommon | Conifer shoots bearing Podozamites leaves. Formerly known as Podozamites arizonicus. | |
| Lyssoxylon | L. grigsbyi | Arizona New Mexico | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato Bluewater Creek (formerly Monitor Butte) | Rare | Cycad trunks | |
| Marcouia | M. neuropteroides | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (formerly Monitor Butte) Monitor Butte | Uncommon | Fern-like gymnosperm leaves of uncertain affinities. Some leaves are affected by feeding traces including crescent-shaped marginal incisions and oval-shaped holes. These were probably produced by beetles or orthopterans (grasshoppers and kin). | |
| Masculostrobus | M. clathratus | Arizona | Monitor Butte | Locally common | A pollen-bearing cone associated with lattice-shaped Equisetosporites chinleana pollen. | |
| Nilssoniopteris | N. ciniza | Arizona New Mexico Utah | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Shinarump | Uncommon | Large smooth-edged bennettitalean leaves, some of which were originally identified as Macrotaeniopteris magnifola. | |
| Otozamites | O. macombii | New Mexico | Agua Zarca Sandstone | Uncommon | Bennettitalean leaves | |
| Pagiophyllum | P. sp., P. duttonia, P. navajoensis, P. readiana, P. zuniana, P. simpsonii | Arizona Colorado New Mexico | "Middle Dolores" "Petrified Forest" sensu lato Sonsela Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Agua Zarca Sandstone | Locally very common | Conifer leaves | |
| Palissya | P. sp., P. diffusa, P. sphenolepis | New Mexico Utah | Monitor Butte Agua Zarca Sandstone Shinarump | Uncommon | Conifer leaves and shoots | |
| Pelourdea | P. poleoensis | Utah Colorado New Mexico | "Siltstone" "Middle Dolores" Poleo Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Shinarump | Common | A shrubby conifer with strap-like leaves arranged around a single narrow stem. | |
| Podozamites | P. sp., P. emmonsi, P. lanceolatus | Arizona Utah | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Shinarump Temple Mountain | Uncommon | Conifer leafs and shoots | |
| Pramelreuthia | P. dubielli, P. yazzi | Arizona New Mexico Utah | Blue Mesa Monitor Butte | Rare | Gymnosperm microsporophylls (pollen-bearing organs) | |
| Pterophyllum | P. sp., P. braunianum | Arizona Utah | Shinarump | Uncommon | Bennettitalean leaves | |
| Samaropsis | S. sp., S. puerca | Arizona | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") | Uncommon | Seeds of uncertain affinities | |
| Sanmiguelia | S. lewisii | Arizona Utah Colorado | Rock Point Owl Rock "Middle Dolores" Petrified Forest Sonsela Blue Mesa | Common | An unusual palm-like shrub, controversially suggested to be a relative or predecessor of angiosperms (flowering plants). | |
| Schilderia | S. adamanica | Arizona | Petrified Forest | Rare | Petrified stems of a conifer or gnetalean | |
| Williamsonia | W. nizhonii | New Mexico | Bluewater Creek ( = "lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) | Rare | A bennettitalean "flower" (female cone) | |
| Woodworthia | W. arizonica | Arizona | Petrified Forest | Uncommon | Stems and petrified wood of a conifer related to A. arizonicum. | |
| Zamites | Z. sp., Z. occidentalis, Z. powellii | Arizona Utah New Mexico | Church Rock? Owl Rock? Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Sonsela Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Monitor Butte Agua Zarca Shinarump | Very common | Bennettitalean leaves. Some leaves exhibit feeding traces, including sharp diagonal marginal traces and slot-like non-marginal traces. These traces were probably left by beetles. Zamites powellii was formerly known as Otozamites powellii. | |

### Ferns

Ferns of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes |
| Apachea | A. arizonica | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" | Rare | Dipteridacean fern leaves, possibly damaged specimens of Clathropteris walkeri. |
| Cladophlebis | C. daughertyi, C. subfalcata, C. yazzia, C. sp. | Arizona New Mexico Utah | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (= "lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) Monitor Butte Shinarump | Very common | Large sterile fern leaves of uncertain affinities |
| Clathropteris | C. walkeri | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (= "lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) | Common | Dipteridacean fern leaves |
| Cynepteris | C. sp., C. lasiophora | Utah Arizona New Mexico | Church Rock? Owl Rock? Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (= "lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) Monitor Butte | Common | Bipinnate fern leaves previously identified as Lonchopteris. Some leaves are affected by crescent-shaped marginal feeding traces, probably from beetles or orthopterans (grasshoppers and kin). |
| Itopsidema | I. vancleavi | Arizona | Sonsela | Uncommon | Stems of large osmundacean tree ferns. Some stems show evidence of being bored by oribatid mites. |
| Phlebopteris | P. smithii, P. utensis | Arizona New Mexico Utah | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek ( = "lower red member" / "Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Shinarump | Common | Matoniacean fern leaves with a palmate structure |
| Sphenopteris | S. arizonica | Arizona | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") | Uncommon | Sterile fern leaves of uncertain affinities. Some show evidence for marginal damage by insect feeding traces. |
| Todites | T. fragilis | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (="lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) | Uncommon | Osmundacean fern leaves |
| Wingatea | W. plumosa | Arizona New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek (="lower red member", formerly Monitor Butte) | Rare | Gleicheniacean fern leaves previously named as a species of Coniopteris. |

### Other plants

Other plants of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes |
| Chinlea | C. sp., C. campii | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato | Uncommon | Small lycopod stems similar to shrubby forms such as Pleuromeia. |
| Equisetites | E. sp., E. bradyi | Arizona Utah New Mexico | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") Bluewater Creek ("Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) Shinarump | Common | A horsetail indistinguishable from modern Equisetum. |
| Equisetocalis | E. muirii | Arizona | Blue Mesa | Concentrated in a narrow stratigraphic range (the Newspaper Rock sandstone bed) | Small three-dimensional horsetail stems preserved in pyrite nodules. |
| Isoetites | I. circularis | Arizona | "Petrified Forest" sensu lato | Rare | Quillwort shoots |
| Lycostrobus | L. chinleana | Arizona | Blue Mesa (= "Lower Petrified Forest") | Rare | Horsetail cones sometimes placed in the genus Equicalostrobus |
| Neocalamites | N. sp., N. virginiensis | Arizona Utah Colorado New Mexico | "Siltstone" Church Rock? Owl Rock? "Petrified Forest" sensu lato Bluewater Creek ( = "lower red member" / "Ciniza Lake beds", formerly Monitor Butte) | Common | Stems and leaves of a giant sphenophyte (horsetail) |
| Schizoneura | S. harrisii | New Mexico | Bluewater Creek (formerly Monitor Butte) | Uncommon | Stems and leaves of a large sphenophyte (horsetail) more typical of Southern Hemisphere plant assemblages. |
| Selaginella | S. anasazia | Arizona | Monitor Butte | Uncommon | A low-growing lycopsid similar to modern broad-leaved species of Selaginella, such as S. kraussiana |

## Arthropods

Arthropods of the Chinle Formation :
| Genus | Species | State | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
| Enoplocytia | E. porteri | Arizona | Sonsela? | Single well-preserved fossil | An erymid crayfish | |
| Paleoscolytus | P. divergus | Arizona | Sonsela | | A species of bark beetle, evidenced by trace fossils of tracks made on A. arizonicum specimens. | |